Merritt, British Columbia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| City of Merritt | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country | Canada | ||
| Province | British Columbia | ||
| Region | Nicola | ||
| Regional District | Thompson-Nicola | ||
| Settled | 1893 (townsite) | ||
| Incorporated | 1 Apr 1911 (city) | ||
| 1967 (district) | |||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | David Laird | ||
| - Governing body | City Council | ||
| - MP | Stockwell Day | ||
| - MLA | Harry Lali | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 24.9 km² (9.6 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 605 m (1,985 ft) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| - Total | 6,998 | ||
| - Density | 281.04/km² (727.9/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) | ||
| Postal code | V1K 1B8 | ||
| Area code(s) | +1-250 | ||
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| Website: City of Merritt | |||
The City of Merritt is a city in the Nicola Valley of the south-central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Situated at the confluence of the Nicola and Coldwater rivers, it is the first major community encountered after travelling along Phase One of the Coquihalla Highway and acts as the gateway to all other major highways to the B.C. Interior. The city developed in 1893 when part of the ranches owned by William Voght, Jesus Garcia, and John Charters was surveyed for a town site. [1]
Once known as Forksdale, the community adopted its current name in 1906 in honour of mining engineer and railway promoter William Hamilton Merritt. The 24 square kilometres (9 sq mi) city limits consists of the community, a number of civic parks, historical sites, an aquatic centre, a local arena, and a civic centre. Merritt has dozens of bronzed hand prints of country music stars that have been in the city for the annual Merritt Mountain Music Festival displayed throughout town. Merritt is also home to a local radio station, Radio NL, two weekly newspapers, the Merritt Herald and the Merritt News, and the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology campus. Nearby, there are 4 provincial parks, more than 100 lakes, and several recreational trails. Merritt is officially branded as the Country Music Capital of Canada.
Highway 5, Highway 8, Highway 5A and Highway 97C all intersect at Merritt with Highway 97C East connecting the city to Kelowna and Penticton, Highway 97C Northwest to Logan Lake, Highway 8 to Spences Bridge and Lillooet, Highway 5A South to Princeton, Highway 5A North to Kamloops, Highway 5 South to Hope, and Highway 5 North to Kamloops. Merritt's economy is dominated by the primary industries of forestry, tourism, and service. A member city of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, it is represented in provincial politics by the New Democratic Party of British Columbia and in federal politics by the Conservative Party of Canada.
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[edit] History
For years, the Merritt area was used as a gathering place by local First Nations groups and a transportation route by early pioneers. The grasslands eventually drew the attention of settlers interested in ranching, and the first ranches were staked in the mid-1800s.
In the 1880's three ranches located at the confluence of the Nicola and Coldwater Rivers, owned by William Voght, Jesus Garcia, and the John Charters Estate, became the focus of a farming community knows as "The Forks". With the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway through British Columbia in 1885, interest increased in the coal deposits south of The Forks.
Part of the ranches owned by Voght, Garcia and Charters was surveyed in 1893 for the townsite of Forksdale, but the name did not catch on with locals. Instead, the name was changed in 1906 to honour William Hamilton Merritt, a mining engineer and railway promoter. By 1907, the coal mines were in operation and with the completion of the railway from Spences Bridge, government and other offices starting moving from Nicola west to establish Merritt as the major settlement in the Nicola Valley.
Armstrong's Store moved from Lower Nicola to Nicola Avenue in Merritt in the spring of 1907. G.B. Armstrong became Merritt's first postmaster at this location in 1908. In 1910, Armstrong's Department Store moved to 2025 Quilchena Avenue. In 1909, the Bank of Montreal moved from the settlement of Nicola to Merritt. A.E. Howse moved his department store to the west end of Nicola Avenue. The Nicola Herald, founded at Nicola Lake in 1905, moved from Nicola to Merritt in 1909 and the name changed to the Merritt Herald and Nicola Valley Advocate. Other the industries developed in the Valley, including ranching, copper mining, and forestry, and as a result, new business buildings were constructed.
The move toward incorporation began in 1910 and culminated on April 1, 1911 when Merritt was granted its city charter. The first Merritt City Hall was built in 1912. The top floor was police headquarters, the second for administration offices, and the bottom for the jail. The building included a tower which housed a whistle to summon the volunteer fire fighters.
Merritt dedicated the names of its streets and avenues to early settlers. Among the names honoured were Charters, Chapman, Cleasby, Garcia, Voght, Coutlee, Nicola, Granite, and Quilchena.
As the town grew, it featured a drug store, a general store, a brewery and a jewelry store. The first electrical power service by the city was provided in February of 1913.
Merritt and the Nicola Valley experienced prosperity until the passage of restrictive trade legislation in the United States in 1930. Because the city had financially backed one of the major sawmills, the loss of lumber markets caused the city to go into receivership from 1933 to 1952.[1]
[edit] The Community
Merritt is composed of five distinct residential areas: Bench, Collettville, Central, Diamondvale, and Lower Nicola. The Bench is a residential mountain bench, hence the name, sited on the northwest side of the valley. Collettville, on the southwest edge of the community south of the Coldwater River, is the newest addition to Merritt, joining the municipality in 1995. Central is situated at the south of the city centre. Diamond Vale is in the heart of the valley, and is the most populated. Lower Nicola is about ten kilometres outside of the city of Merritt, but most residents are serviced by and work in the city. Each area is served by an elementary school: Bench Elementary, Collettville Elementary (French Immersion), Central Elementary, Diamond Vale Elementary, and finally Nicola Canford Elementary. Also, a high school, Merritt Secondary School, and a middle school, Coquihalla Middle School, service the area. The main office for School District 58 Nicola-Similkameen which operates the schools in the area is also located in Merritt. The town is also served by the Nicola Valley Museum and Archives.
[edit] Commerce and industry
Today, ranching, farming, forestry, transportation and tourism are the primary industries. Merritt is the nearest large community to the Douglas Lake Cattle Company, Canada's largest working cattle ranch.
A number of lumber mills operate from Merritt, though recent efforts have been made to remove working mills from the downtown core due to air quality concerns.
Merritt hosts a yearly Merritt Mountain Music Festival that draws more than 120,000 people every July. The Mountain Music Festival, combined with the development of the Merritt Walk of Stars - a display of bronzed handprints of Mountainfest artists placed around the community - and other tourism development activities have been used to solidify the city's branding as the Country Music Capital of Canada.
On March 18, 2008, the Walk of Stars Society announced that the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame will relocate from Calgary to Merritt. [2]
A newer feature in Merritt is the Pacific Forest Rally, an off-road rally conducted as part of the Canadian Rally Championship series every October. The annual Thunderbird Rally often begins and ends in Merritt.
[edit] Merritt on Film
The debut episode of Smallville was partly filmed on location in Merritt. Jack Nicholson's The Pledge (2000) and the remake of The Wicker Man (2006) were also filmed partly in the area.
[edit] Sports
Merritt is home to the longest continuously run franchise in the British Columbia Hockey League, the Merritt Centennials. The Cents, as they are affectionately known, moved to the Nicola Valley from White Rock midway through the 1973-74 season. The Centennials play all home games at the city-run Nicola Valley Memorial Arena and their season runs from early September through early March.
Merritt also hosts the Nicola Valley Pro Rodeo on the Saturday and Sunday of Labour Day Weekend every year.
Merritt is also home to the Nicola Valley Thunder minor lacrosse club.
Merritt and the Nicola Valley features two golf courses, the Merritt Golf and Country Club in downtown Merritt and the Quilchena on the Lake Golf Course, located 15 minutes east of the city at historic Quilchena.
Merritt features a skateboard park, bike park, and numerous walking trails.
The Merritt Panthers High School teams take part in boys and girls volleyball, boys and girls basketball, and boys and girls rugby.
There is also a local slo-pitch softball league and the Merritt Otters swim club, which makes its home at the Nicola Valley Aquatic Centre.
[edit] Media
Merritt has one local radio station, Radio NL 1230 AM, and two local newspapers. The Merritt Herald is published every Wednesday and the Merritt News is published every Thursday. The Herald also publishes a supplement every Friday called The Weekender. Merritt is also served by Shaw Cable 10, whose studio is located at Merritt Secondary School.
[edit] Environment
In 1995, Merritt's air quality was rated worst in British Columbia due to fine particulate matter in the air, thought to be caused by a combination of dry desert conditions, active lumber mills in populated areas especially using a beehive burner, and a long-burning coal seam underneath the town. In 1997 studies showed that on average, 35 out of 1,000 people are hospitalized for respiratory problems each year in Merritt.
[edit] Surrounding communities
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Logan Lake | Kamloops | Quilchena |
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| Lower Nicola |  |
Nicola Lake | |||||
 Merritt  |
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| Hope | Brookmere | Aspen Grove |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Nicola Valley Museum Archives Association, ed. (1998), Merritt & The Nicola Valley: An Illustrated History, Merritt, BC: Sonotek Publishing, pp. 32-37, ISBN 0-929069-11-0
- ^ The Canadian Press (2008-03-18). Country Music Hall of Fame moves to B.C.. TheStar.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
[edit] External links
- City of Merritt
- Community Futures Nicola Valley
- Merritt & District Chamber of Commerce
- Merritt Walk of Stars
- Nicola Valley Museum & Archives
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